Got to attend a craft talk, workshop and evening reading with Hicok last year and his work, excites me! His poems veer, jag and go sideways resemblingGot to attend a craft talk, workshop and evening reading with Hicok last year and his work, excites me! His poems veer, jag and go sideways resembling a debris strewn trail of thought or the way memory returns. Dealing in a fragmented currency, the poems feel wild and surprising as if even Hicok doesn’t know where his explorations will lead. ...more

Recommended by a friend with similar oddball sensibilities and in a nutshell is about a village at war with February which has been going on for overRecommended by a friend with similar oddball sensibilities and in a nutshell is about a village at war with February which has been going on for over 100 days and is devastating the town’s morale with perpetual cold and darkness. Flight has been banned (it provides too much inspiration) and all winged and other flying objects, especially hot-air balloons (one of the central character’s great loves) have been systematically removed, murdered and buried by a gang of mysterious priests. Each page is a prose poem from the perspective of a different character from a girl who smells like honey and smoke to a sap collector and of course, February himself. Have no fear, The Solution is at work to overcome the unlikely seasonal villain. This is my kind of book!

I love this blurb by Detroit writer and a former teacher of mine, Peter Markus (http://www.calamaripress.com/the_sing...), “Jones is a writer who dares to play make-believe in this tired age when too much fiction is tied to that which is only real. “...more

My favorite poet, really taking the finest of two forms, eastern zen poetry and contemporary american poetry to create an ideal atmosphere for any reaMy favorite poet, really taking the finest of two forms, eastern zen poetry and contemporary american poetry to create an ideal atmosphere for any reader to enter and take away a breath of ease. Two weeks later I realize I need to return every book I have from the library and just read poetry again, I do this often to try and simplify my life, at least part of it. ...more

True to form and to Alaska and the darkness that can spring up from our wild spaces. Faced with isolation, domination by natural forces and limited opTrue to form and to Alaska and the darkness that can spring up from our wild spaces. Faced with isolation, domination by natural forces and limited options and resources, many of our state's residents can't keep it together. Vann's characters osculate between strong and shattered. Where as his last book, the novella/story collection "Legend of a Suicide" had moments of beauty and hope, "Caribou Island" left me feeling too down and dark and sad to review for our local paper. Vann will be coming to Juneau Public Library in October, so read this one and Legend...and judge for yourself. He is certainly a writer to keep an eye on! ...more

Bizarre. Can you inspire milk cows to reproduce by screening bad pornography in the barns? It worked with Chinese pandas but it might take more than tBizarre. Can you inspire milk cows to reproduce by screening bad pornography in the barns? It worked with Chinese pandas but it might take more than that and more than an American Peace Corps volunteer to change the post soviet culture of a tiny Kyrg village. ...more

If you like Harry Potter, which I did, you will be quickly swept up into the world of Brakebills College of Magical Pedagogy! Thrilling descriptions oIf you like Harry Potter, which I did, you will be quickly swept up into the world of Brakebills College of Magical Pedagogy! Thrilling descriptions of magic, realistic portrayals of teen angst and more. Part YA due to drug references....more

Very intriguing portrait of the beginning of NASA, the internet, Cold War arms build up and more.

Would I recommend this to a friend?

For sure. If youVery intriguing portrait of the beginning of NASA, the internet, Cold War arms build up and more.

Would I recommend this to a friend?

For sure. If you like to read Wired Magazine or Engadget on the web you'll likely dig this. Very cool in terms of history of the space program in US and how the space race led to huge government investment in technology research leading to among other things, the Internet as we know it today! Chapters on artificial limbs blew me away also. The nice thing about this non-fiction book is that each chapter reads as a stand-alone essay so if you get bogged down you can jump to a new chapter. ...more

Incredible, never read any of her work before, but having read the complete ode to Kudzu as well as a few others in the collection that hooked me goodIncredible, never read any of her work before, but having read the complete ode to Kudzu as well as a few others in the collection that hooked me good, I'm going back for more of this contemporary southern poet. ...more

Have been totally mesmerized by the story as well as all the meta-text and illustrations. Got physically tired holding the hardcover in bed so boughtHave been totally mesmerized by the story as well as all the meta-text and illustrations. Got physically tired holding the hardcover in bed so bought a paperback from Powells....more

Losing myself in this commune/hippie world and in Boyle's rich descriptive language, i.e. "The morning was a fish in a net, glistening and wriggling aLosing myself in this commune/hippie world and in Boyle's rich descriptive language, i.e. "The morning was a fish in a net, glistening and wriggling at the dead black border of her consciousness, but she'd never caught a fish in a net or on a hook either, so she couldn't really say if or how or why. The morning was a fish in a net.

OK, started with a bang but fizzled. I'll try more Boyle books later, couldn't get through this one, too many other good ones laying around...more

In his latest collection former Alaska State Writer Laureate, Sexton deftly guides us through a magical yet familiar landscape, with microscopic attenIn his latest collection former Alaska State Writer Laureate, Sexton deftly guides us through a magical yet familiar landscape, with microscopic attention to detail and imaginative journeys inspired by natural objects. For the Sake of the Light contains fifty three new poems, each with their fingers tracing the contour of the land as if reading a Braille history of life in places of rugged beauty, like Alaska and Maine. Also included are a fine selection from Sexton’s seven previous collections, making this edition a very practical Sexton Reader and an unrivaled gift for the poet in your life.

In “Redpolls” we are captive to the foraging of the wondrous small birds as they forage the snow for alder seeds, “on the breast of each male a bit of pink / like that of a petal glimpsed falling from / a rose. This is where we live, in this small / frenzy of beating hearts.” Sexton’s verse is simple in form, Zen-like in its praise of life’s overlooked pleasures, a bowl of blackberries, an albino deer and the song of tugboat engines as they maneuver a barge against the tide. From Fairbanks to Southeast, Sexton's verse is as diverse as the Alaskan ecosystems he explores. While the poems of the natural world remain timeless, some revisit characters of the Yukon gold rush, fur trading expeditions in Ontario and childhood summers spent on the Maine coast.

If one poem can be read as a metaphor for Sexton’s careful celebration of simple language, “The Man Who Learned Dena’ina” would work wonderfully. In it, a quiet student, who has spent the winter listening to the songs and stories of the Athabascan elders, is given the opportunity to speak, “to try a few of their words in his throat”. Having done so, the student experiences a transformation of perspective, leaving the classroom and seeing, “that the ice was gone and the lake was covered / with shimmering scales. Dilah Vena, he said, / and it moved its tail. Dilah Vena, Dilah Vena.” In this way, the world according to Sexton leaps from the page, filling not only the eyes, but the ears and mouth of the reader. In Sexton’s world, one cannot help be swept away by the power of a single image, which becomes a poem within the poem, “sitting by the window watching night’s / long limousine drop the stars off one by one” (from “Signs of Spring”).

True to Eastern poetry traditions, the poems capture the often disregarded passing of time and changing of seasons, an essential element to Haiku and other short forms. When gentle rain begins to fall in “Reading Wang Wei” the reader tucks the book of 8th Century Chinese verse into his jacket and re-acquainting his eyes with the surrounding world, notices, “Spiderwebs are on the grass / for the first time this summer. / Highbush cranberries hang / like glowing lanterns on their stems. / For a moment / I'm too insignificant to be unhappy.” Which leaves this reader questioning what could have caused even a threat of unhappiness, perhaps the water stains upon the damp pages of the book or perhaps the rain on a summer's day? Regardless of this insignificant detail, there are too many revelatory moments collected here that make one rejoice that we can call this land, this Alaska with all its terrible weather, brutal isolation, unique people and resilient plants and animals, our home. For the Sake of the Light will serve as a strong addition to any Alaskan book collection (despite poems collected here set in other locations) and should be prized and carefully studied by any student of poetics. I leave you with four lines from “A Letter to Tu Fu” from, Autumn in the Alaska Range (2000, Salmon Publishing) and included in For the Sake of the Light.

This one was referenced in a Wikipedia entry about Forest Park outside of Portland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_P...) and I was pleased to finThis one was referenced in a Wikipedia entry about Forest Park outside of Portland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_P...) and I was pleased to find it on the new book shelf at the library. Masterfully told from the perspective of Caroline, a twelve year old girl living with her slightly-off, father in Forest Park, one of the largest urban forest reserves in the US. Right on in his portrayal of the awkwardness of people caught between worlds and of the budding sexuality/adolescence of a 12 year old girl without access to social interactions which might otherwise prepare her for these unanticipated feelings. ...more

Very dark glimpse of teenage meth use in suburban, private-school populations in Hawaii. Incredibly accurate in obliviousness of adults and police andVery dark glimpse of teenage meth use in suburban, private-school populations in Hawaii. Incredibly accurate in obliviousness of adults and police and in the deranged behaviors users engage in to trade up for a drug made from in this case, rat poison. Strong elements of friendship and how best friends influence each other in positive and detrimental ways. ...more

Not the greatest book I ever read, definitely took advantage of ZAMM hype to publicize a mediocre road trip retracing Pirsig's steps. Read ZAMM and saNot the greatest book I ever read, definitely took advantage of ZAMM hype to publicize a mediocre road trip retracing Pirsig's steps. Read ZAMM and save yourself the trouble of reading this one. Though I learned a few things about Robert Pirsig's life that I didn't know before and discovered that I had misunderstood the phaedrus character entirely. ...more

Just found out that the library I work at will be a cite for the StoryCorps Alaska initiative and got very excited as I've been wanting to put togetheJust found out that the library I work at will be a cite for the StoryCorps Alaska initiative and got very excited as I've been wanting to put together some sort of digital storytelling/local history/geneology program for a while. As an aside I also applied for a job with the project, hope that goes well. So far in this collection I've encountered some incredibly extraordinary stories from what might be called ordinary people. ...more

Wow, amazing energy, twisted plot lines though nothing expected, not your typical PTSD or Gulf War syndrome stuff, bizarro, "I rode through the desertWow, amazing energy, twisted plot lines though nothing expected, not your typical PTSD or Gulf War syndrome stuff, bizarro, "I rode through the desert on a camel with no name". Fans of Tim O'Brien's The Things they Carried will enjoy these stories which aren't quite as heavy due to a sardonic element of humor. ...more

Picking up where book 1 left off, this time we see more of Satrapi's teen years and all the mischief and psychedelia you'd expect from that age. ComplPicking up where book 1 left off, this time we see more of Satrapi's teen years and all the mischief and psychedelia you'd expect from that age. Completes the saga, see time to see the film. ...more

Saw that they turned this into a film (Satrapi wrote the screenplay) and just had to read it as i'd heard it was incredibly revealing of life in IranSaw that they turned this into a film (Satrapi wrote the screenplay) and just had to read it as i'd heard it was incredibly revealing of life in Iran from a young person's perspective. I read it in one sitting, it was tragic and funny, the best kind of history lesson to be had. I'm about half way through part 2 now. ...more